


Your friend Adrien

by Avra



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Friendship, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode: New York Special, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Friendship goal, Matchmaker Alya Césaire, New York, New York City, New York Special, Not Beta Read, Short, mention of Adrien Agreste, mention of Kagami Tsuguri, mention of Luka Couffaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:56:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avra/pseuds/Avra
Summary: … Why Alya pushing the fact that Marinette try to think of Adrien as a friend so much during the NY special ?Some talk between two girls that should have been done after Miracle Queen.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	1. Can you... Stop ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched the New York special and it was really good. There are some Adrinnette scenes that I lowered the volume because I didn't want to see or hear those parts (with only the thrailer I knew that those awkward moments still happen in the special). Amerian's heroes are really cool (exept Magestia, her 3D model is kind of weird and she's just a Superman cliché). There's still one thing that I didn't like at all. It's not funny anymore when every little interraction between Alya and Marinette is about Alya, saying, laughting, about the fact that Marinette tries to see Adrien as a friend. I don't have a problem with Alya in general (there are worse persons than her) but that was just strange in that great episode.

A lot happenned, that was for sure. Marinette sat in a part of the party at the end of the battle, finally trying to pause after a while. When she thought about leaving Paris for a school trip in America, she didn't think that it would turn that way. Again, a lot happenned and a little time, she had the possibility to just relax, even for just a few minutes. A statue was created in the background, to celebrate the end of the fight, the start of a real collaboration between France's and North America's heroes. If someone told her a week ago that just in one trip, even a half of what happenned here was meant to arrive, she would have laugh. Now, it wasn't funny. At all. She nearly got her miraculous away from her by a superhero that only saw her as a petulant child as some sort of hero. Chat Noir gave his miraculous back to her, making her almost lose him. Hawkmoth had his claws on a lost miraculous, giving it to an American villain that controlled every adult hero. And Adrien...

« Come on Marinette. » Alya said while standing next to her friend. « Don't you want to participate to Adrien's surpise ? You wouldn't want to make _your friend_ waiting, don't you ? »

Alya expected multiple reactions. Marinette rambling about trying to see Adrien as a friend, maybe snapping back into the present and appologizing before coming where everyone was starting to gather, or even being excited that the fight was over, making them go back to Paris in peace. The future journalist couldn't believe that Marinette, of all girls, pretended to see Adrien as a friend, of all things. The girl was just confused with her feelings ! She just needed a little push, a little word here and there to make her doubt her decision and making her understand the truth ! Marinette who didn't love Adrien wasn't even normal !

… But of all reactions that Alya expected, getting nothing from her best friend wasn't one of those options.

Marinette was looking at her hands that rested on her legs, like every mystery could be revealed to her just by looking at them. After a long minute of silence on both sides, Marinette finally spoke.

« Alya... Can you please just... Stop ? »

« … What ? » Alya said, blinking a few times.

« I mean, can you stop draw on the friend part every time you talk about Adrien with me ? It was fine at first, maybe doing it two or three times, but it's not funny anymore. »

« But it's you who said that you're trying to see him as your friend, girl ! And I mean, come on, it's not like it's getting somewhere. You like that guy.»

« Exactly ! But don't you get it ? » Marinette begged, looking up to stare at Alya's face, trying to make her understand just by her expression alone. « I'm trying to move on. »

Alya gasped, clearly shocked. No. It wasn't right. It couldn't be real ! Marinette, trying to move on ? Impossible ! Even after that museum fiasco, she was still clinging on that crush ! Marinette without her crush wasn't the real Marinette ! Her bestie was always, since the beginning, running and running to get that chance. To hope for the better with Adrien. When Kagami arrived, she didn't give up. When Luka arrived, she didn't give up. When she was jalous of Lila, she certainly didn't give up on her crush ! Then... Why ? Things didn't add up. And even so, those five words started to mess with Alya's head. _I'm trying to move on._

« What... Why ? » Alya sputtered.

« He's dating Kagami. » Marinette anwered in a matter of fact tone.

« No he's not ! »

« Come on Alya, you saw how they acted when we reunited after Miracle Queen at Andre's ice cream stand. It's more than just two friend, eating an ice cream. »

« When would they even start dating ? » Alya asked, something deep into her mind screaming _it's not my ship, it's not my ship, it's not my ship._

« Miracle Queen, actually. » Marinette murmured. Again, Alya saw that once again, Marinette didn't refered a day, like anybody else but an akuma fight as a reference to know when things happenned. And when she looked closely at her best friend, the mask was crumbling down. It wasn't the bubbly, smiling girl that she saw. It was a tired girl, that seemed to have experienced and saw too much for just a teenage girl, with all of her small smiles and smart eyes. « It's me who push them together. Twice, even. During Frozer when he asked me some advices, and during Love Eater. We went to Andre's and I... I let them have their lover ice cream cone while I went away. »

« But... But you like him, right ? »

« I love him, Alya. » Marinette admitted. And _oh_ , those words were heavy. Like it meant everything and anything at the same time. Like it was a secret that almost everyone knew. Like it was something that felt right but will never happen. « I always did. »

« Then why would you... Just let him go ? With the Ice Queen, no less. He's the guy you dreamt for _years_ to be with. We did so much to make it happen. To create a change to make it happen. »

« And even so, nothing happenned. We planned, we tried and even if sometimes I wasn't happy to be forced into those situations, everything did happenned. I tried, really tried, but... » Marinette whispered. « Listen Alya, he's with Kagami. And I don't want to mess with that. She's my friend and he... I hope to be his friends too. That one day, it won't just be him who think that I'm a great friend to him, that I believe that too. That I can give him his birthday present without freaking out, that I can reassure, help and talk to him like Nino or you can. But right now, I'm in a phase that will hurt. I have to let go, to be there for him, without strings attached. Maybe repeating to myself that he's my friend and nothing else isn't the right thing to do but it's the only thing that I thought might help. » She frowned, looking back at her hands. « It's not like I can just stay away from him to clear my mind and heart. I'm seing him almost everyday in school. And he will think that it's weird if I don't talk to him because he doesn't know why it hurts so much. » Her arms started to fly in every direction to add to her rambling. « I mean, look ! I tried to keep some distance between us but it's like everytime I try, life push us together again or Adrien himself try to stay close ! » Her arms fall again, like dead limbs. « And what you did all trip long didn't help. At all. » Marinette proclaimed in a straight voice, finally looking back at Alya. « It's was like everytime you could talk to me, it was about scheming for us to be alone together, or talking about my new perspective of Adrien. It was like you were laughting at my efforts. Laughting about the fact that I'm trying to be his friends first. Accentuating your voice on the friend part like an delusional idea. Like I said before, I know that what I'm trying to do isn't foolproof. It's not healthy and I don't know what else to do. But you pushing the knife deeper into the wound didn't help either. »

« I wasn't trying to hurt you Marinette ! I just felt that you were confused about your feelings and I didn't want you to think that I was making fun of you. It's just, I didn't know that... »

« It's okay Alya. I know that you didn't do or say anything because you wanted to hurt me. It's how you try to push me in the right direction. It's how you deal with things. And it's okay. You're not a bad person. »

« Do you really thing that you can let go of Adrien ? » Alya demanded in a low and slow voice while she sat next to her friend. « To love him from afar, as only friends? Accepting that he's with someone else ? »

« I don't know. » Marinette honnestly said. « Maybe not for a long time. I need that time to heal. To think and make everything clear. To know my boundaries and to let things happen. As for hopping for something between him and I... Why would I when it only hurts so much ? I don't want to make things more difficult, to break something with Kagami's and Adrien's friendship with me or what they have together. If they are happy then it's good for me. »

« You're too good for this world, Marinette. » Alya mumbled before giving her friend a tight, warm hug. « I'm sorry. I should have talk to you before. Making things clear between us. Not trying to repeat myself like a broken record in hope that you'll react like I wanted you to. For now on, I'll have your back like you have mine. And if something make you uncomfortable, tell me. Even if it's something Adrien do, I'll punch his model face and they will have to put so much make-up to cover that up. » Alya jokingly threatened, making Marinette giggled. « Seriously though, don't bottle everyhting up, M. We're best friends forever. Let me be here for you. »

« Okay. » Marinette smiled, tightening her hold on Alya. « Thank you Alya. »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading !


	2. My best friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen after the trip. More talk, more explications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really uncanon valley here.

After going back from New York, a few things changed. First, American's and Parisians' heroes decided to talk to each other once a month. Since they didn't know if Hawkmoth or any other villain could intercept their video meetings, they used their protected miraculous phones, integrated to their weapons. Since miraculous holders happened to be on both side, it wasn't too difficult to call the other group. With those meetings, the trust that was blurry at first started to straightened between them. Ladybug and Chat Noir made it official on TV that they made an alliance with the American's hero. They promised that didn't want to lack on their duties over Paris, but they were going to America if their allies asked for help. It was still rare, but when a destruction was needed or if there were too much damage that they needed a cure, Ladybug and Chat Noir were seeing teleporting or flying to the other country in order to help. Of course, American's heroes couldn't come to Paris directly, in case they got akumatized. Even robots were out of the list since Markov's akumatization proved that even beings made with an AI could be targuetted. However, some of those new allies were added into the list of people who helped tracking down Hawkmoth and Mayura, even if they did it from affar.

During those meetings, they both ask for help and advices about some things that they encountered. Some of the members of American's heroes were doubtful about believing and trusting children that never were trained and had to learn on the field. However, just by looking into the fight that happenned in New York and what they could see on internet about Paris' hero, they seemed to be more than adequate. A new meeting was created when the new eagle holder started to ask questions about her powers, other holders' powers and what was exactly a miraculous and a kwami. Therefore, in those particular meetings with only miraculous holders in it, those questions were answered. In one o those, the American guardian was presented to Ladybug and Chat Noir, almost making cry Ladybug just by the sight of another guardian, memories of Master Fu returning to the surface. The path of this new guardian was explained, making it more believable that a new guardian just pop up from nowhere when the eagle miraculous got in the right hands. With that, the four of them started to train together, this new man and miraculous holder adding themselves to Chat Noir's trainning. The young cat hero was there to train to learn what was never said with Fu's reign over the Miracle Box, and was happy to know what happenned with the American Box and guardian. Both sides shared their stories, what they learned. By the surprise of everyone, both actual guardians didn't have the same training and knowledge. To know more and being more effective, they taught what the other didn't know, making both sides stronger. While a side was angry to discover that two miraculous were used for evil plans, trying everything to get two powerful miraculous that balanced the world, the other side was sad to learn that some miraculous from the Box were still lost, hopping that no miraculous was going to be misused like in Paris.

And yet, even if things started to get better for their hero sides, our main characters weren't happy on their civilian's side. After the New York trip, Adrien was kept and watched more closely. His father didn't want to hear about New York, grumpy for something that no one knew. Adrien read in a scoop magazine that his father went to New York the same week than him. Apparently, some pictures leeked that he was there for some time, as well as some proofs that he rented a luxious suite, and used a hight-tech jet for him, then his son. He was there for a fashion exhibition and some meetings, trying to make his brand more important overseas. But with everything that went down that week, nothing went the way he wanted. Adrien could only lower his head and try to escape his father's cold furry during a week.

As for Marinette, she had her best friend at her side, even more than before. She didn't know if she was happy to let Alya run near the battle with Nino since she needed to transform into Ladybug, or being sad that her best friend wanted to go straight into danger. Like some people said, comunication was the key for a healthy relationship. So, those two girls talked. A lot. When Marinette was feeling more down than usual about Adrien, Alya was by her side in seconds, making her giggle, asking for girl nights, eating ice cream and watching stupid movies to make her friend forgot her problems, even for a few hours. If Alya had problems with something that happenned between her and her sisters or Nino, Marinette always had reassurances, sweets food and words to cheer her best friend up. Marinette was an only child (at least until there is a shocking reveal that Bridgette exist in the 3D universe too), nevertheless she still knew how to deal with children since she babysitted Manon and her friend's siblings. As for Nino, she was his friend for so long that she could be an interpreter of what the guy wanted to say or do. It was also easy for her to be the person that heard about each side of the conflict, trying to deal with the problem with both sides.

It was at one of their best friend sleepovers that Alya helped Marinette taking down Adrien's pictures from Marinette's room. No one pushed them to do so and slowly, those pink walls started to get more blank. They did it with their own rate, a part already gone last sleepover. Only group pictures remained, as well as pictures with Adrien and Marinette together, like the one that Adrien posted one day on the internet. It didn't feel wrong to keep those pictures when they were just the two of them. It was just two friends, taking pictures like anybody else. However, even when they started to take Adrien's pictures, seeing her pink walls without something on it felt strange to Marinette. So with the help of Alya and a few other girls, they added one by one new things. Posters of her favorite artists, drawings and sketchs that she particularly liked near her sewing machine. At that sleepover, the two girls added a few pictures of them together making silly poses and faces.

In the middle of a bad movie about maidens and lords, where Marinette critisized how the team behind the movie didn't even look how people dressed in that era, Alya looked back at the wall in front of her. A picture caught her eyes and she remembered why it did before as well as when she saw Marinette put it on the wall earlier. It was Marinette and Luka, the older guy teaching the girl how to play the guitar. Just next to it was a few pictures of events on the Liberty, essentially when Kitty Section played or when the group just hang out together. Alya swore that she wasn't going to go back to shipping people too fast, or planning things. However, if Luka was a potential boyfriend for Marinette, she needed to know. Sure, they were so similar yet different, like two cookies from the same batch. The same way it was mixed, molded and baked but not perfectly the same result when you take them out of the oven. It was Marinette's happiness that counted first. If she wanted to start dating someone, of course Alya would threatened that person that if something happenned to her best friend because of them, they will have a very angry Alya on their back. Of course Alya would be a mother hen. But that didn't mean that she would plot something without everyone consent. And if her instinct was right, she didn't even need some plot to make them like each other.

Marinette already explained the situation between her and Luka. He was a sweet guy, trusting, listenning and reassuring Marinette with each step that she made to let go of Adrien. He knew that it was hard for her, that she was scared that someday he started to think that she was messing with him, making him hope for nothing. He was the type of guy that could make Marinette stop rambling with just a few words, a song, a warm smile and sometimes a touch. The type to help the future designer with no strings attached, just to see her bloom and be the strong and happy girl that she should be. Some simple things... That sometimes Alya thought she didn't quite did. And yet, the reporter knew better. A new phase in her friendship with Marinette started with the trip to New York. And she was determined to be the best friend she clamed to be. She knew that there were bumps in the road, that neither of them were perfect. Sometimes things could go south, but Alya was sure that if they kept talking about what they both thought and felt, it was going to be okay. With that in mind, Alya stepped closer to Marinette, taking her friend in a hug.

« I'm going to be the best friend that you deserve, Marinette. » Alya whispered into Marinette's shoulder. Even if those words were said in a whisper, they still lingered in the air like a vow.

« Oh Alya... » Marinette whispered back, holding closer the girl next to her. « You already are. »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading those two chapters ! I hope I didn't to too much grammar errors.  
> I felt strange to put a character in a bad light like this but the repeat of the "friend" thing rubbed me the wrong way. Even if it would have felt like just two persons that reacted the same way, I would have liked more to see Alya as a mother hen around Marinette, like Nino was around Adrien (finally some moments when Nino isn't just a background character that is just here as Adrien best bro !) than what happenned.  
> I know that Marinette is the type of girl that just bottle up everything, keep everything secret and doesn't tell anyone things that she should say. But at least, make it look like her best friend is there, trying to keep every shard of her heart in place. 
> 
> Again, thanks for reading !


End file.
